1. Field of the Invention:
This invention relates to ski racks in general and more specifically to a lockable water ski rack designed to be either permanently or removably attachable to a boat.
2. Description of the Prior Art:
The popularity of water skiing has grown over the years and as a consequence, the need for storing and transporting the skis within the boat has developed. The general practice has been to store the skis on the floor of the boat which unfortunately takes up a great deal of the already limited available space. Not only does this practice tend to cause damage to the skis themselves, but the danger of injury to the passengers is always present should the skis be thrown about during an evasive or turbulent movement of the boat.
A search conducted in the classes and subclasses, 211/70.5, 114/343, 364, 224/42.45, and 915, provided the following patents seemed most pertinent to my invention;
Three similar patents, one issued to Shald, Pat. No. 4,232,806, one to Gallant Pat. No. 4,234,112, and the third to Hunter, Pat. No. 4,582,015, illustrate water ski rack attachments for boats. One disadvantage of these particular devices involves the inability to lock the rack to prevent theft. Another drawback is the degree of outward extension of the racks from the boat. On boats having rear outboard motors, the racks would have to be side mounted where the extending sections would prove to be an obstacle to navigation especially when docking.
Pat. No. 4,330,065, issued to Haddad on May 18, 1982, illustrates a portable water ski rack mountable over boat engines. Although this device provides for securing the skis in place, there is no provision for locking the device. Mounting the device is also limited to the area over the boat engine, which may be undesirable in some cases, as with boats having outboard motors.
Several other patents illustrate racks for automobiles and prove to be ineffective for use on boats. The Michael Pat. No. 4,271,997, shows an interior automobile ski rack. Pat. No. 4,372,470 issued to Dallaire and the Kimmel Pat. No. 4,432,480, illustrate automobile roof top racks. Pat. No. 4,469,260 issued to Delahanty, teaches an apparatus for converting automobile roof top surfboard carriers into ski carriers.
Although the past art patent search provided several water ski rack devices, none where found to be in close approximation to our invention. Not only is the design and structure of our device different from the previously mentioned patents, the mounting position is more efficient. Our device also has the option of being lockable and theft resistant. We therefore feel our invention not only overcomes the disadvantages of the past art patents but provides new and useful improvements not previously available in those devices.